At first I was a Capital Bikeshare skeptic. It seemed like a flashy and expensive undertaking – when, as a biker, I thought DC just needed some more places to lock-up. Then they moved a couple Capital Bikeshare stands into our neighborhood north of Columbia Heights and I became a convert. What a convenient way to get downtown!

The annual DC Caribbean Day Parade down Georgia Avenue was shorter this year and was sadly marred by a shooting late in the afternoon. But Rachel and I caught some of the parade – the costumes were as outrageous as in years past – and we tried to take some “family friendly” photos:

Many recent DC park renovations are honestly impressive, so the paving over of the little triangle at the intersection of 14th, Oak, and Ogden Streets NW seems even more depressing. Before it was torn up and paved over, this park used to have benches popular with a “colorful crowd” (which responded to the park’s closing last year by moving down the block). In the weeks since it was reopened, I have yet to observe anyone try out these strange stool-like structures. Is the new tree-less cement expanse some sort of urban baking experiment?